Zwift Pace Partners are Upgrading to “Dynamic Pace”

I’m a big fan of Zwift’s Pace Partners, the ability to drop into a paced group ride at any time of day or night is great. But, the feature is far from perfect.

On Tuesday, an announcement in Zwift’s forum let loose that Pace Partner “dynamic pace” testing will begin next week. Here’s what’s coming:

Hi Pace Partner fans –

We’re testing a new feature for Pace Partners starting next week called Dynamic Pace, and ask for your feedback on this thread.

With Dynamic Pace, rather than holding a constant pace as elevation changes, the Pace Partner will adjust its effort to maintain a smoother ride with the goal of keeping the group together. On constantly rolling, mildly hilly terrain, this more closely resembles how many cyclists ride in real life.

• Currently, C. Cadence rides at 2.5 Watts / kg no matter the terrain.
• We’re going to increase the pace slightly on uphill grades to about 2.7 W/kg.
• C Cadence will let the group know to increase the pace on climbs.
• On downhills, the 2.5 W/kg pace will resume.
• This test will begin Monday, March 28 @ 05:00 UTC. Convert to your local time zone here 24
• The test is only for C. Cadence on the three Watopia routes she uses: Tempus Fugit, Tick Tock, Sand and Sequoias.
• Depending on your feedback, we may make further adjustments to her pace.

Future implementations of Dynamic Pace may be different depending on the route being used, and the Pace Partner leading the ride. We’re looking forward to your feedback on this test!